“This is a great honor for Dr. Downs and for UAB,” said Christopher Girkin, M.D., MSPH, chair of the UAB Department of Ophthalmology. “ARVO is the most pre-eminent vision research organization in the world. Dr. Downs brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this important facet of our efforts to better understand and treat eye disease.”

The Animals in Research Committee monitors the status of the use of animals in biomedical research and the impact upon ARVO members, provides a resource for eye and vision researchers whose work comes under scrutiny, assists the ARVO Board of Trustees with issues requiring policy decisions, and educates the membership on relevant issues to increase members’ awareness of the importance of animal research in understanding eye disease and visual functions.

Downs took on the duties of chair-elect following the close of the 2014 ARVO annual meeting in May and will assume the role of chair immediately following the 2015 annual meeting for a two-year term ending in 2017.